Covers for utility buckets have existed for some time. One traditional use of a utility bucket cover is to allow a handyman to store and access tools more readily. Most traditional utility bucket covers are secured over the outside wall of the utility bucket so that tools and other implements can be stored inside the bucket, while various pockets and other receptacles provided on the cover will hold additional tools and implements on the outside of the bucket.
Sportsmen have traditionally used utility buckets in the field. For example, ice fishermen have traditionally carried their equipment and gear inside of the utility bucket. When a fisherman arrives at his or her preferred fishing destination, the fisherman empties the contents of the bucket, inverts the bucket, and sits on top of the bucket while he or she fishes. Thus, the bucket serves the dual purpose of carrying equipment and providing a seat once in the field.
There are problems associated with utilizing traditional utility bucket covers on utility buckets to carry implements and to use as a seat while fishing. If items are placed inside of the pockets of a traditional utility bucket cover, as soon as the bucket is inverted for seating purposes, the contents of the pockets will fall out.
Another problem associated with traditional utility bucket covers is that there is no padding or protection when the bucket is used as a seat. When inverting a traditional bucket for seating purposes, only the hard plastic bottom surface of the bucket is available for the sportsman to sit on. Even if a traditional utility bucket cover is used, when the bucket is inverted only the hard plastic bottom surface is exposed for seating.
Yet another problem associated with traditional sportsmen utility buckets relates to the difficulty in carrying the bucket. While carrying a utility bucket by the standard utility bucket handle is certainly manageable for short periods, extended trips are more difficult. Furthermore, carrying the bucket by the handle requires use of at least one arm and hand.
The foregoing problems associated with traditional utility bucket covers gives rise to a need for an improved utility bucket cover for use by sportsmen. Specifically, there is a need to develop a sportsmen's utility bucket cover that provides a convenient, padded seat, that allows implements utilized by a sportsman to be carried in the main compartment of the bucket, that allows items to be stored in pockets formed in the cover such that the items can be accessed by the sportsman while sitting on the bucket, and that is easier to carry for extended periods.